Squats for skiing: which types to do and how deep to go

Squats are the core leg exercise for skiing because your quads spend the day lowering and holding your weight under load. Bodyweight squats with a slow lowering phase, plus a few pause and single-leg variations, are enough to prepare most recreational skiers. Go as deep as you can with heels down and knees tracking over your toes.

Updated: 2026-11-04

Every ski fitness plan has squats in it, and for good reason. The squat is the closest simple gym movement to the shape of a ski turn: ankles, knees and hips bending together while the thighs take your weight. This guide covers why squats help, which versions to choose, how deep to go and how to build them across a six-week block.

Why squats suit skiing

Skiing is largely slow lengthening of the muscle under load. In giant slalom racers, the outside leg spent about twice as long lengthening as pushing off, and the activity of the knee extensors during that lengthening matched near-maximal isometric contractions^[1]. You ski gentler than a racer, but the idea carries over: your quads mostly brake. That is why the lowering half of the squat matters more than the standing-up half.

Evidence in skiers points the same way. In a six-week study of junior alpine skiers, a group that added eccentric cycling, a machine that makes the rider resist the pedals, to a reduced amount of weight training gained thigh lean mass and countermovement jump height compared with a group that did regular leg training only^[2]. That is a young, trained group and a specific machine, so do not copy the protocol, but it supports training the lowering phase on purpose. A slow squat does that with no equipment.

Is a deep squat bad for your knees?

This worry stops many people from squatting at all. A 2024 scoping review of 15 studies concluded that the deep squat appears to be a safe exercise for knee joint health when technique is sound. Fourteen of the studies reported no negative effect, while a case study and a narrative review suggested a possible risk. The authors also note that the evidence is limited by short intervention periods and reliance on questionnaires^[3].

So depth is not the main concern for healthy knees. Control is. Go only as deep as you can keep your heels flat, your back neutral and your knees tracking over your second toe. If your knees fall inward or your heels lift, you are deeper than your current mobility allows. If you have knee pain or a past injury, ask a doctor or physiotherapist about depth before you push it.

The squat variations worth doing

Bodyweight squat

Feet shoulder-width, toes slightly out, sit back and down, stand up. Do 10 to 15 slow reps. This is your base and it is enough for the first two weeks.

Tempo squat

Take three seconds to lower and one to stand. This keeps the braking phase honest and is the most ski-specific change you can make without equipment.

Pause squat

Hold the bottom for two seconds, then stand. It removes bounce and teaches you to control the position you find yourself in on the slope.

Split and single-leg squat

Skiing loads one leg more than the other in every turn. Step back into a split squat, or sit to a bench on one leg with the other foot forward. Use support as needed. See lunges for skiing for the stepping versions.

Fast squat and squat jump

Once you can squat well, add speed. A fast squat is a quick stand-up from a normal lowering, with no leaving the floor. A squat jump adds takeoff and landing. Ski plyometrics explains how to bring jumps in safely.

Cues for a ski-style squat

• Push your hips back and let your shins lean forward. On skis your shins press into the boot tongues, so practise ankle bend, not an upright shin.
• Keep weight over the middle of your foot, not on your toes or your heels.
• Chest up, back flat, eyes ahead.
• Breathe out as you stand. Do not hold your breath through the set.

If your heels lift, put a thin board or book under them for now and work on ankle mobility on the side.

A six-week squat build

• Weeks 1 to 2: bodyweight squat, 3 rounds of 30 seconds work and 30 seconds rest, controlled tempo.
• Weeks 3 to 4: tempo squat or pause squat, 35 seconds work and 25 rest, 3 rounds.
• Weeks 5 to 6: add split squats or fast squats, 40 seconds work and 20 rest, 3 to 4 rounds.

Train legs two or three times a week with at least one rest day between hard sessions. Suva, a Swiss accident insurer, suggests two to three sessions a week matched to your fitness level, and says to stop any exercise that causes pain^[4]. The full week structure is in the ski fitness plan. If you cannot train at the gym, ski exercises at home covers the rest of the set.

How to know you are progressing

Pick one simple test and repeat it every two weeks: how many clean tempo squats you can do in 60 seconds, or how long you can hold a squat position above a bench. If the number goes up and your form stays tidy, the plan is working. If it stalls, add a rest day before you add volume. Soreness for a day or two after a new variation is normal; soreness that follows you for four days means you did too much.

Common mistakes

• Bouncing out of the bottom instead of controlling it.
• Letting the knees cave in when tired. Stop the set when that happens.
• Going straight to jumps and skipping basic strength.
• Only training both legs together and never one leg at a time.

Squats on the days you ski

Once the season starts, keep one short squat session a week instead of stopping. Ski days already give your legs plenty of braking work, so the gym or living-room session should be light: two or three rounds, controlled tempo, no new variations. If your thighs are still sore from the slope, skip it and walk instead. sore after skiing has what helps on the recovery side. Stopping training completely is the usual reason that strength built in autumn is gone by February.

Also notice how you squat in boots. Ski boots hold the ankle firm and tilt the shin forward, so a squat with limited ankle bend feels very different on snow. Practise your squat in socks, with a slight forward shin lean, and you will recognise the position the first time you click in.

SnowStreak, an iPhone app, includes squats, reverse lunges and wall sits in its leg-strength session, with a fast squat swap for beginners and a weekly streak counting three sessions a week. It is a free-to-start way to keep the plan on rails, nothing more magic than that. See it on the App Store.